Goodbye Blogger!

Since Blogger will no longer support FTP I'll no longer be using it and trying out Wordpress instead. Will put up the new link at Jix when everything is good to go. :)

I Think My Brain's Melted

I do not like the heat. I don't like being hot, sticky and sweaty. It makes me headachy and grumpy. It's worse when I'm not at work because I have no air-conditioning in my flat. 98% of the time this isn't an issue, and I just put the fan on for some semblance of fresh air. In winter I don't need heating - if I'm cold I'll grab a blanket or go to bed and read. Today we got to 43 C, or 109F. We had a complete fire ban for the entire state. I have no idea what the temperature will be tomorrow, but if it's anywhere near today's then I'm going to a shopping centre. I will spend all day in nice air-conditioning away from sunlight.

In other news:

It's my nephew Dominic's 5th birthday today. :) I can't believe that it was 5 years ago that I watched him make his appearance in the world. I still remember that very uncomfortable night spent on the chair in the delivery room because he jolly well wouldn't hurry up and arrive. He will start school next month when New Zealand children return to school after their summer holidays.

I bought myself a Kindle and have been trolling the net finding free e-books as possible. Most of these are classics now in public domain. The best thing I've discovered so far with having a Kindle is just how easy it is to eat and read - much easier 'turning' the pages with a Kindle than a paper and ink book. *g* It's not going to change my book buying by much. There will always be those books that I must have a physical copy of. It's kind of like my music buying, there are some artists I want the CD. Other times downloading from iTunes is good enough. A bookshop is still my happy place and I love being surrounded by books. You can't get past the feel and smell of a new book, or picking up a well-loved copy of a classic and thinking about the people that have loved it just as much as you. That said, the Kindle has definite advantages. I love it's portability - just slips easily into my handbag, and that I can store many many books on it. I can buy a book and have it delivered practically instantly - very handy. One thing with e-books is that I'm less likely to peek ahead - not that I do it that often, but sometimes the temptations there. It's not so easy just to flick to the end with an e-book. I'm going to try and give my Kindle a bit of a work out with some fanfic. I've tried it out with one piece, now I just need to do a few more. It's got a notes and highlighting function so that I can jot ideas down as I go to make it much easier to leave comments. I'm still getting used to all the bits, but it's been fun!

The Year That Was

Okay, so 2009 hasn't quite finished, but I don't anticipate much happening in the next 2 days. It's been a pretty good year. :)

The first half of the year revolved around planning and then going on a month long trip to the UK. It was an interesting experience both planning and travelling with someone else, and I learned a lot from the experience. I must say though, that I don't regret the trip in any way - it was awesome! I can't wait to go back again and see so much more. I had a couple of short trips back to New Zealand to see family.

The second part of the year was anticipating Mum and my nephew Alex coming to stay. It was nice to have my Mum here. :) We had lots of fun. I found out that my sister was having child #5. I planned and booked a trip to Turkey with a few days in London on either side. Next year, I'll be spending Anzac Day at Gallipoli, so that will be something to cross off my To Do list.

In between times, it was work and a bit of play. I got banned from a website (long story and it involves what happened in the UK), which made me value even more what a great site Jixemitri is. I started to get back into writing, and today posted my first piece of Trixie Belden fan fiction for quite some time! I discovered the fun of e-books - and while they'll never replace the printed word for me, I love getting a story instantly. Amongst this I discovered the author Josh Lanyon. I love his writing, although since he writes M/M he's not everyone's cup of tea. Because his focus is on plot, it's easy enough to skip over squicky bits. I discovered him by accident. He's also very appreciative of his fans - replying to all the comments he gets on his livejournal page.

Other books I've enjoyed this year - The Uncle's Story - Witi Ihimaera, Regeneration - Pat Barker, All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque. Bit of a war theme here, lol!

There haven't been too many that I haven't really enjoyed. The only one that springs to mind is A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway. It's kind of hard to enjoy a book where you can't stand the main characters.

TV - the main show I discovered this year was Being Human. A delightful British show about a vampire, werewolf and ghost who live together. It's both funny and touching. Can't wait until the next series.

So, what's in store for 2010? My trip to Turkey in April / May. A new nephew in April, and hopefully a return to the USA as well. I'm aiming for the Jix Chicago Weekend, but I might end up having to delay until later in the year.

Lazy Sunday

I've been having a nice lazy Sunday - spending the day in my pyjamas. I've had a pretty relaxing weekend, just being a homebody. Just went out to do some grocery shopping and that was it. It's been nice to recharge, although I haven't been exactly pushed at work. I had the best room ever. Lovely patients, lovely families and not alot of things that needed to be done, so I was able to spend time talking with my patients. Unfortunately, this isn't something that occurs very often. Sometimes we just get so pushed for time getting everything done, that we struggle to even get the basics completed, let alone the little things. I hate that. For me, it's being able to do those little things that make me feel like I've done a good job and have made a difference.

I've signed up for NaNoWriMo again. I haven't quite formulated what I want to write yet, but I'm sure things will work out. I'm 99% sure that I'm going for original - I've got to get these blue bunny slippers out of my head. Just having a problem with sorting out a character. I have bits of character floating around, but can't work out whether it's all one character, or a second character. This second character won't fit because it's too similar to the first character, and that just won't work. Oh well, I still have a couple of weeks to work things out.

I still have 3 days off after today, practically 4 if you count Thursday which is when I start nightshift. I only have 3 so that's not too bad. I don't really mind nights, so long as I can sleep during the day. We're starting to put our requests in for Christmas - eeek! I don't know where the year has gone. It's nearly time to think about Christmas cards etc. I don't mind if I work Christmas or not, because if I do, my brother can spend Christmas Day with his friends.

Well, I think I might peel myself from the couch and make myself a coffee. Unfortunately, I only have decaf at the moment, but it's better than nothing. I'm just waiting for my regular coffee to go on special.

I'm Back!

Yes, I had decided to end this blog when I decided not to renew my domain and webhosting. However, in the past few months I've had a change of heart, and my domain is back up and running, even if the rest of my site isn't quite! I thought that this blog would be a good chance for a test run.

Not much has been happening as of late. My mum and nephew were over here for 10 days - went home on Sunday. I start back at work tomorrow after having a couple of weeks off. We're finally getting some better weather after it practically rained every second day Mum and Alex were here.

I've been spending far too much time on Facebook. I now have a farm on Farmville and I've been coerced into playing Mafia Wars. All good fun!

Planning at the moment for a trip to Turkey next year. I've always wanted to do an Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli, and 2010 is my year. Everything is all booked, all I need is my Turkish spending money. I'm spending a couple of days in London on either side of the tour I'm doing to Turkey.

Then fingers crossed that I can make it to Chicago in June of next year. My main worry is that I won't be given leave since I would only be back from Turkey 6 weeks earlier. I'll have to speak/beg very nicely to my manager.

Hello!

Thought I needed a different title than my over used "Update." *G* Not that I've been doing anything dramatically exciting.

Work

Work's going fine. It's been remarkably settled over the past few days. I've been working in the middle which has the potential to be the heaviest area, but it's been okay - at least on the afternoon shift. Heavy in the morning because no one is independent and you have all the washes and showers. Don't have to worry about those so much when you work a pm shift. I've got nightshifts coming up in a few weeks. I keep telling myself to think of the extra money. I'll be working with a pretty good bunch so that makes it more pleasant.

Holiday

My holiday is all booked and nearly paid for. I'm just waiting for this coming payday so that I can pay for my travel insurance at the same time. Now it's just a matter of saving up my spending money. My flights have all been paid for, so it's just tours and accommodation. I've been trying to decide what I'm going to do on my 'free' days. I just love the internet. I've discovered one place that I really want to go to - The Eastside Tenement Museum in Manhattan. It looks really interesting, and I only found it by accident. One of those click one link and then you click another and you can't remember where you actually found it. It was recommended by lots of people on this one site. I've only got one free day in New York so I have to decide on what I want to see, not what I think I should see. Anyway, I can always go back. I'm going to start booking some of my tickets online soon, so that I don't have to waste time in queues. I imagine that it's not going to be long and I'll be getting requests from the niece and nephews, but isn't that what aunties are for? It's going to be more fun shopping for them at Disney than it will be for me. It's also more expensive this time around since there were only 2 last time I was over, and now I have 4 to shop for.

Doctor Who

Coming up to the last 2 episodes and they are shaping up to be the best season finale. There's a cross-over with Torchwood, which is a bonus - and it's not just Jack! I wonder if they'll be any mention of the events of the final Torchwood episode? I can not wait until Sunday, as that's when I'll be downloading the latest episode. The series that I've nearly finished watching starts on TV here in Australia on Sunday night as well. It will be good to see on a screen bigger than my laptop. It's starting off with the Christmas special - oh well, some places have mid-winter Christmas parties. I've started collecting the Old Series of DW, starting with the first episodes shown. It's rather amusing. The only thing is, I start to get the theme stuck in my head. LOL! I'm about to watch the Doctor's first encounter with the dreaded Daleks. "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Sunday

I've already mentioned DW, but I'm looking forward to Sunday for a variety of reasons. One being that it's Cary Grant Chat, and that's always good! Nothing like climbing out of bed and into the gutter! Then I have to dash into the city because I'm meeting up with my fellow Melburnian Torchwood fans. 3 of them are ones that I met at our last meet-up, and there are 2 new faces. One of which is only fairly new to the board. I'm really looking forward to it. We can't talk very much about what's been happening in DW because E hasn't been downloading, so she's been waiting for the TV screening. We much just have to send her out so that we can squee about what's coming up on DW, so that we can get it out of our systems.

Reading

I've started reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I really enjoyed the first one, but though the second was a bit melodramatic. I still enjoyed it though.

Discovered that the final Cherry Ames book, Ski Nurse Mystery has been republished, so I've ordered that from Amazon. That will now complete by collection. Unlike my Trixies, I don't have a nice tidy complete set in only one edition, but I'm not worried. I'm debating about getting all of the re-prints. The only thing is, they aren't reprinting Julie Tatham's books, so any young collector isn't going to end up with a complete set. It's all very mysterious. *g*

Music

Teddy Thompson has a new CD out, which I've ordered from Amazon. Unfortunately, it has a song on there that I hate. Why, why, why did he have to put it on there???? He sang it when I saw him live a couple of years ago, and it's dreadfully depressive.

I bought Martha Wainwright's latest - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too. I like it much better than her first album. It appeals more to my ears.


So, that's pretty much what's been going on in my life over the past month.

Geekiness

On Saturday I went to a sci-fi mini-convention here in Melbourne. It was basically the opportunity for Melbourne sci-fi clubs to get together. I went along to meet a couple of members from the Torchwood board. Met E at Flinders St. Station and then we got the tram to where the convention was held. We had a lovely chat about work - she's a theatre nurse. We then met C and P. Poor P kept getting a little confused as my screen name and E's real name are the same. It was a great day that went really quick. The guest speaker was Shaun Tan who has illustrated and written several picture books, and worked on Horton Hears a Who. I got one of his picture books signed. In between things we chatted about all things Torchwood and Doctor Who, and saving E from spoilers from the episode they had playing. She hasn't been watching series 4 as she's waiting for it to be shown on tv. There was a quiz that we didn't disgrace ourselves on - we beat the Trekkers! That was all C wanted us to do. E, P and myself all joined up to the Doctor Who Club of Victoria. Unfortunately, I can make the next couple of monthly meeting due to having to work. So, chilly weather aside, it was a great day!

I've booked my flights to the US and to and from the East Coast. Now I'm just waiting for my travel agent to get back to me on the rest of the bookings. It's so nice having someone else do all the hard work for you. :)

Otherwise, not much else has been happening. I had a nice long weekend - 3 days. I worked yesterday, and I'm working today, then I have 3 days off again. The benefits of only working 4 days a week. *g*

Update

Had my first lot of night shifts a couple of weeks ago. The first was a bit of a killer - I was so busy, but the other 2 were fine. 5/6 of us worked the same nights so that made it far more enjoyable. They do 10 hour nights over here instead of the 8 I worked back home. Best thing with the nights was that I managed to get 7 days off after - so I popped back home to New Zealand. I didn't tell Mum I was coming over, so she didn't know until I knocked on her door. She was surprised - *G* but happy to see me. The funniest thing was that night when my niece rang and I answered the phone - she was very confused. She couldn't quite understand how she managed to ring Aunty Jayne when she was ringing Nannie. My sister said that the look on her face was priceless. She was much relieved to find that I was over, and quite excited. It was her 8th birthday on the 27th - it doesn't seem that long ago when I was cuddling her for the first time. She's growing up so quickly. It was so good to be able to catch up with all my family. Had lunch at Nana's and saw my uncles. My cat came to visit and snuggled up as if she'd only seen me just a few days ago. All up it was a good visit and something that I needed.

Work's going good. I've had my first student in several years, which was a bit challenging for me. I was lucky in that I had a fantastic student and we got on really well together.

I'm hoping to get my annual leave confirmed so that I can start booking my flights for September. I might have a word to my boss tomorrow. Other than WDW, I'm flexible for the time off.

Then, just as I'm getting all excited about September, there's been talk at another board about a trip to the UK. This is on the Torchwood Australia site that I spend a fair bit of time. That's being looked at for April next year. Whew! We'll definitely be going to Cardiff - where Torchwood and Doctor Who are filmed. My brother thinks that I'm a geek. I'll have to start saving frantically after WDW, but with a group of us going, that will cut down costs. I really hope that we do go in April, because if we do, I'm seriously considering going to the ANZAC Day dawn service at Gallipoli. It's been one of my life ambitions and it would be awesome to do it at the same time, especially if I'm already travelling that distance.

I'm thinking that I might have to go on sabbatical. I'm just not in the mood for writing or reading Trixie fic. I still have ideas, just no motivation for writing. I'm going to be lucky to get anything out for my anniversary at the end of the month. I don't want to resign as an author - I'm not at that stage, but I don't think I can remain active. Even the thought of going on sabbatical makes me sad - but what else can I do. My heart's just not in it. I am still writing, just not Trixie.

Update

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I haven't really anything to write about. My life has been pretty much uneventful, which I guess is a good thing.

I had a difficult couple of months when I was feeling down and homesick, but that's pretty much passed.

Easter - made hot cross buns and ate far too much chocolate. On Sunday the morning staff gave us an Easter egg hunt. We each had a clue which led to a little bundle of chocolates. Great fun! We ate so much chocolate because relatives of a patient gave us a box of Lindt balls. Yum!

Work's going really well. I've been asked to be a clinical coach for a third year nursing student. It's been awhile since I've had a student. We finally got our back pay. We got a new contract in October, and we've only just had the new pay rates implemented. Lovely pay last week. I put the extra in my holiday fund.

Had an impressive thunderstorm last night - lots of lightning. Not really surprising given how humid it had been. We've still had some really warm days.

Been on a bit of a classic movie binge this month. So far I've seen:

High Noon
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
His Girl Friday
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
From Here to Eternity
The Unforgiven
42nd Street


I've been trying to work my way through 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. I'm not going to see all of them because many don't appeal. I'm am aiming to see a quarter of them. While it's still subjective, I prefer it to the various top 100s because it's international. Quite a few of them I'd seen before, but others I've made a special effort to see. Susan, you'll be pleased to know that there are quite a few Cary Grant movies listed. Not all of the movies are easy to get hold of, but I've found that by being patient, they seem to turn up. Plus, my favourite movie theatre screens some of the classics so I've been able to watch them on the big screen. I'm just watching them randomly as I'm able to get hold of them. From what I've watched this month, only one movie wasn't out of that list. I'm not sure how many I've seen, but last count had me around 120.

I've also started watching the complete collection of North and South. (The one based on the John Jakes trilogy) I always loved the first miniseries, the second was okay, but the third one stinks. I've always thought that James Read was gorgeous. Susan, did you know that he played Cary Grant in Poor Little Rich Girl - The Barbara Hutton Story?



I've gotten into the BBC series Life on Mars. I've watched the first series, and once I've downloaded the 2nd, I'll start watching that. Although, it might be easier to buy the dvds. (Which I will once they're released in Australia, unless I go for region 2). Brilliant, brilliant show, that I strongly recommend. I'm also slowly working my way through series 5 of Spooks. Then there's Torchwood. Only one episode to go for this series, and Aunty Beeb is making us wait 2 weeks for it! Arrrgh! This series has been a major improvement of the first one. Then there's Doctor Who to look forward to. I've been spending a lot of time on the TW Australia Forum, where I've been participating in my first RPG. *g* Although, we did have a warm up with a group story. Basically, we each took a character and posted in the form of emails. Lot's of hilarity and late nights ensued.

Music - nothing really new. Bought The Hollies Greatest Hits. All the favourites are there. I've always had a soft spot for Jennifer Eccles. Probably because I always thought her name was Jenny Fereckles. LOL! It took me a bit to find a CD with I'm Down on it. That song always makes me sad. It's about someone finding out he's adopted. Very moving. When we first got our stereo back in 1985, the first 2 LPs Mum chose were The Hollies and Crystal Gale. She had to pick something that my dad would like too. Dad's music is more country - especially Johnny Cash, while Mum's more of a rocker. She has a Black Sabbath CD. *g* People are often impressed when I tell them Mum listens to Black Sabbath and Twisted Sister. It kind of makes me cool by default.

Managed to get through a few books. A couple of Doctor Who novels, 2 books by Irene Nemirovsky. Still have quite a few books on my To Be Read pile.

So, that's pretty much it for the moment. :)

Brief Update

I've gotten a bit behind in updating. Just briefly:

Dad's finally had his surgery. He had what ended up being a quadruple bypass on Thursday. He's doing okay. The whole thing's just made me a bit homesick and down. Didn't help that my brother's been in NZ for a week, so I've been here all by myself.

Being permanent is going great. I'm in the middle of 6 days off. :) Had my first morning shift last week. They were nice and put me in the ANCA (acute neurosurgical care area) not as exciting as our HDU back in Dunedin, but it was 2 nurses to 2 patients, and A is lovely to work with. I've taken my first primary patient, and he'll probably be at rehab by the time I get back. He was so much fun to look after, and his family were lovely.

Saw Rufus Wainwright in concert on Saturday night. It was a real good show. Because it was promoting his latest album, he played most of that, plus a sprinkling from his others, a couple of Judy Garland numbers and an Irish lullaby. I was just disappointed that out of the 2 songs from Release the Stars that he didn't play, he didn't play Nobody's Off the Hook. It's one of my favourites. :( I gained a new appreciation for one song though. I've heard Leaving for Paris No. 2, so many times, it's just kind of passed me by. Completely different hearing it live.

Made it through to the final 11 on the Torchwood fanfic challenge. Was happy to get that far.

Christmas

So, that's Christmas over for another year. I had a fairly quiet Christmas. Had to work Christmas Eve. When I got home I quickly checked emails, then watched The Bishop's Wife, and wrapped up presents. Went to bed a little before midnight. Got up about 8am on Christmas Day, got dressed and went downstairs to check my mail. I got a ride home from work on Christmas Eve so I didn't check my mail as I went in the other door of my building. Opened my cards over my traditional Christmas breakfast of weetbix and banana. Started preparing the trifle, and while things were cooling, rang Dad. He's waiting for a heart bypass but is currently too well for an operation at this stage. The thing is, it is impacting on his life as he gets very tired. But, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Dad was saying that he and my step-mother are thinking of moving back down to Invercargill to be nearer to her parents. Dad was wondering if it would be possible to get his surgery done faster if it was done through Dunedin Hospital. Personally, I would feel happier if Dad was done at Dunedin. Probably because I know the hospital - it's where I trained and worked for 5 years. Plus, we don't have MRSA (except for occasional outbreaks) unlike Auckland hospitals.

After talking with Dad, I mucked around on the internet for a while. I think that it's the first time I've ever been alone for an entire Christmas morning. It was kind of sad. Rang up my brother to see what time he was planning on coming over for lunch. He lives in a building next to mine, so he was over pretty quick. We had potatoes with parsley and butter, mixed veges, roast pork and ham, with trifle for dessert. I also had Christmas pudding, but my brother isn't a fan of it. He drank coke, while I had grape juice. I had to go out and buy some wine glasses because I wasn't going to drink grape juice out of an ordinary glass. Normally I would have used one of the glasses I got for my 21st, but they're back with Mum in NZ.

We watched Christmas episodes of Doctor Who, and Mum and the family rang from NZ. It's hard being away from the family at this time of the year. My sister gave her partner a cardboard model making kit of the inside of the TARDIS. I picked it up for her over here. He complained that it wasn't the real thing. LOL! Sorry, but the ABC shops here don't sell the real thing.

Then we opened our presents to each other. I got a box of chocolates and Shrek the Third dvd. I gave him a bag, t-shirt and chocolates.

After my brother went home I played on the internet and then watched Love Actually. So, all up it was a good day. Not sure what I'm doing today. Don't know whether to hit the shops or just stay home. It is a lovely day outside, and I should make use of it. We're supposed to get up to 38 on Saturday, here in Melbourne. Eeek! Thank goodness I'm working and will have air-conditioning.

This morning saw the UK previews for series 2 of Torchwood. I can not wait until I see it for myself! I hope that my fellow NZers don't have to wait long until they get to see the first series.

I hope that everyone has a happy and safe holiday period.

Update

I think I'm long overdue for an update. Not long until Christmas! I have posted the majority of my cards. Came home to find that I'd forgotten a couple. Will get those in the post tomorrow. Put my tree up the other day. It's only small, and sits nicely on top of my tv. I'm going to send money back to NZ for presents rather than buying over here and having to deal with the postage.

Finished NaNoWriMo. Managed to complete it a day early. I wrote every day and I was happy about that. Thought the quality of my writing was way off, but that's not the point of NaNo. I have been asked by someone if there was anywhere they could read it. Heck no! Other years there's readable stuff, not this year.

I've signed up for a writing challenge over in the Torchwood community of LiveJournal. It's called Writer in the Drawer. Every week we're given a prompt to write to and then have a week to submit our stories for voting. One story is voted as the winner, while a certain number are voted to go into the drawer. I've managed to survive the first round which is all I wanted. Nothing worse than being the first to go. I've found out that no one voted for me as worst. It was hard having a word limit of only 500 words. I could have done with an extra hundred. This week it's 600. t's been a bit scary writing outside the Trixie community, but it's been fun. I posted my part of a group Christmas story on the Australian board today.

Got my Secret Santa story yesterday. How exciting to get the pm! I got a simply lovely story from Cheryl. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

As I've posted at Jix, I now have a permanent job. I start 7th January. It gives me a few more pays to save for September. I have enough for my airfare, and the other week I'm there. I'll have to apply for leave now, but at least I'll now get some holiday pay. I'm definitely coming, work permitting or not. I've spent the past 2 months working pretty much exclusively for the ward and found that having to go to other wards wasn't so appealing any more. I just got too settled. I like it there. It's my specialty of interest, and the staff have always been really good to me. Every week I was asked when I was coming to work permanently. Now I am!

Had the ward Christmas party last Friday. It was at a bar just down the road from where I live, which was handy for me. It was lots of fun. We had the place to ourselves. I was the only sober one by the end. They're rather an affectionate bunch once they've had a bit to drink. Nothing untoward - no snogging in corners, but touchy-feely, and huggy. I went home a little after 2am. Longest I've stayed out in ages. I could have gone out with some of the others but I was getting tired, and my feet hurt after spending all those hours in high heels. Apart from the fact that they were heading for a gay bar. *G*

Guy Fawkes

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up King and Parliament.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

It's Guy Fawkes Night back in New Zealand. When it gets dark, people will be letting off their fireworks. I've never, ever lit a firework because they scare me. I'm too afraid of losing an eye or something. The fireworks safety posters we had up at school must have done their job.

I have to admit, it's been quite nice being back at work. It's good to get back into routine. I love holidays, but sometimes I miss a sense of routine. First day back at work was brilliant because I got to take blood for the first time! Very very exciting for me. I got it first go so that was very very cool. I never had to learn back in NZ because that was something the doctors did. Over here, the doctors only take bloods if the nurse can't get it. I always hated asking others to do the bloods for me, so now I only have to ask if I can't get it. I haven't had to do it since though. It's not going to be something I love doing, but at least now I can do it.

Speaking of blood, I donated blood yesterday for the first time here in Australia. Not really any different, just a hundred extra questions for new donors. I took just over 8mins to bleed out. My record is just over 5mins. I'm already booked in for my next appt. in 3 months. I'd been a bit worried about my haemoglobin levels because I haven't really been eating much red meat recently. It was okay - 123. The minimum to donate is 120. I hate to think what my iron stores are like though. :( I should go and buy a nice big steak. *g*

Not long to NaNoWriMo now! Only 9 days. I'm using the same blog as last year.

Back From NZ

I'm back from spending 2 weeks in New Zealand. I spent most of the time at my mum's, and a couple of days up at my dad's. I finally got to meet my littlest nephew who is just gorgeous. I was even able to catch up with 2 of my cousins which was great. We had a birthday lunch for my nana last weekend, and they were down for that. Even my cat remembered who I was. I had prepared myself for her not wanting to have anything to do with me, but after a few moments, it was as if I had never been away. I miss my cat. :(

I enjoyed having foods that I missed - particular sausages and chocolate (not together because that's just gross!) a cream cake that's only made by one bakery in Hamilton. I picked up a copy of my favourite magazine and some cds of NZ singers I can't get here in Australia. Plus a copy of the Edmond's Cookbook. This is one of the best selling books in NZ. Nearly every household has at least one copy. Now I don't have to email my sister for recipes. Picked up a cheap Cary Grant movie (Penny Serenade).

It was lovely to be away, but it was nice to get back to my own space and bed.

Tomorrow, I really must remember to buy a battery for the smoke alarm. I forgot today, and am having to put up with the sporadic beeping. Feel like tossing it out the window.

Can't wait for NaNoWriMo. I have an idea that I can't wait to get down.

randomness

Nothing really exciting happening. Spent the past 2 days watching dvds - 4 episodes from series 3 of Doctor Who, and 3 episodes of UFO. I had a bit of a buying spree on Tuesday with dvds. Bought the complete series of UFO which I've never seen, but it's by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and I've always enjoyed Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. It's their first live action series. It's a bit of a giggle, but I'm enjoying it. I also picked up the latest dvd in the 3rd series of Doctor Who. My brother will be pleased that he can now watch some more Doctor Who. He's been moaning because I haven't been watching them fast enough. I've been working when it's been shown on tv, but at least the dvds are coming out quick. I also picked up series 4 of Spooks, which was on special. I have no idea when series 5 is going to be shown over here. I might look at downloading it once I've finished off Battlestar Galactica. Or I might look at getting it on dvd as soon as it's released in Britain. Might go and look up the BBC shop to see if there's any date. Due to be released on the 10th of this month. I'll wait until after my holiday and get it off ebay. There are some already up for grabs as pre-orders. It does make it more expensive this way, than waiting for it to come out in region 4. I'll just wait for a bit.

Have to remember Harry Potter chat tomorrow morning. I was planning on re-reading the book, but haven't gotten around to it. I'll just have to go on memory. War of the Worlds is on in 2 weeks and I'm so excited! My ticket arrived about a week ago. I have been looking forward to this for ages. I think I bought my ticket back in May, as soon as they were available. I love the cds, but seeing it on stage is going to be a huge thrill. Of course, my main reason for going is to see Justin Hayward. My mind was made up as soon as I knew that he was coming. The dvd is out from one of the England shows, but I've put off buying it, because I don't want to be spoiled. I've seen bits from a preview that was shown, but I don't want to see anything else.

The rugby world cup has started in France. Go The All Blacks! France hasn't had a good start, being beaten by Argentina in a bit of an upset. But then, Argentina has always had the potential to do that. I think the All Blacks' first match is against Italy. We should win. I doubt that I'll watch any of the matches on tv as they're on about 4am. Early in the night, or later in the morning are okay, but that's just an awkward time. I'll be able to watch back in NZ because the time difference will be better.

Update

Not really anything much to say, but thought that I should at least post something.

It's been a bit of a tough week. My dad had a heart attack last week. He's okay. My sister went up and saw him over the weekend, and said that he by the time she was about to leave, he was practically back to his normal self. It's hard being so far away at times like this. I'm planning on going back to NZ in October for a week or two. I got a very nice tax refund that I'm going to use some of for my flights. I just have to decide exactly when to go. I want to avoid the NZ school holidays, and my Nana's birthday is on the 10th, so I'm trying to fit things around those dates. I'll go up and stay with Dad. I wanted to give him some time to recover before having a house guest.

Had a big movie week, this week. On Sunday I went to Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. Why oh why did they have to include a dreadful version of Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright, and not have the excellent version of The Future by Teddy Thompson? To be fair to Rufus, it wasn't his fault, but that of his sister and the other woman singing. His verses were lovely, but theirs weren't. The whole U2 thing didn't add anything at all. I loved the interview parts with Leonard Cohen.

Then that night I went to a Rear Window/Vertigo double feature. I hadn't seen Vertigo before, and it's always good seeing movies on the big screen. Enjoyed them both muchly. :)

Yesterday my brother and I went to Black Sheep. It's a NZ horror/comedy about genetic engineering gone horribly wrong. Sheep start attacking humans and turning them into were-sheep. I thought it was hilarious. It's along the lines of early Peter Jackson films such as Bad Taste and Braindead.

Have to work this weekend. :P I keep telling myself to think of next year and WDW.

Update

Not a lot to report. I've been hit with another abcess. Same general area, just opposite side. So I've been feeling pretty crappy. It's still really painful, I've had more surrounding inflammation this time. Just waiting for the antibiotics to kick in. Mood wise, I'm back to normal. It was as I'd suspected, just hormonal.

I've stolen the following meme from Jules, one of my myspace friends.


First off, let's get to know each other.

How are you today?
Tired and a bit sore

Really? Why?
Abcess

So, what's your name again?
Jayne

What was the last thing you ate?
Chocolate

Are you listening to music now?
Yes

What is it?
My allsorts playlist. It contains everything but my Christmas and Classical music.

What kind of toilet paper do you use?
Whatever is on special. I bought some today, but have no idea what brand it is.

Do you know anyone who doesn't use toilet paper?
No

Are you crushing, single, or taken?
Single

Have you ever seen a live hippo?
Yes, but only in zoos. I've never seen one in the wild.

Do you have any medical problems?
Generally no. Just this abcess.

What's your social security number?
Don't have one. Even if I did I wouldn't be stupid enough to put it on here!

What do you want to name your kid if it's a girl?
Emma or Lydia. Not that I plan on having any kidlets.

What if it's a boy?
Don't know. I like the older names like Daniel. I like nice strong, manly, boys names.

Is there anything you're obsessed with?
Currently Torchwood and Doctor Who.

Did you ever wet the bed when you were little?
Yep.

Do you wear polos?
No, although one of the tops I where for work is kind of polo styled.

How many shoes do you own?
Five I think. I do need to do some shoe shopping.

Are your school dances good or bad?
I never went to any of them. I do vaguely remember a disco when I was 13. It was okay.

What is the closest thing to your right hand?
The arm of the sofa

Look behind you. What do you see?
The wall behind me, and the window.

Do you have any pets?
Grizz, my cat back in NZ. Otherwise only my brother. *g*

Bush. Yay or nay?
Don't mind them. They look pretty when they flower. (Yes, I'm being deliberately obtuse.)

Are you for or against abortion?
Essentially against, but accept that there are special circumstances.

Have you ever been to New Zealand?
Born there.

What's the most expensive piece of clothing you own?
Probably my Stella McCartney camisole.

What colour do you absolutely despise?
Orange

When was the last time you wanted to kill someone?
Haven't been that desperate, but I have wanted people to disappear.

Do you like Lamb Of God?
Not exactly sure what this is getting at, but if you mean Jesus, than yes. I love Him. :)

Are you one of the few who don't have a myspace?
Nope. I have a myspace. Don't use it much, but it's there.

Do you have a myspace, but find it quite boring?
I'm not really interested in making friends off it, I prefer to use it to connect with friends I've made elsewhere.

How do you feel about this survey so far?
Okay as far as these things go.

Have you ever heard of deviantart?
Yes

What colour are the walls in your room?
White

Is there a scanner near you?
It's in the next room.

Where's your cell phone?
On the coffee table in front of me

What kind of music do you listen to constantly?
Just music in general. Whenever I get a new cd, I'll play it over and over.

What song can you play over and over again and never get tired of?
Lot's of Moody Blues stuff. I still get shivers whenever I hear Adagio from Spartacus by Khatchaturian.

Have you heard of The Postal Service?
Reading the question below, I'm guessing this is a band. Therefore the answer is no.

How about Jack's Mannequin?
Nope

How many X-Rays have you had?
Lots

What for?
Toe, right ankle, both knees, spine, neck, skull, chest, teeth, right wrist, bladder and kidneys. Toe and wrist were to check for broken bones, the others were looking for abnormalities. Chest was to check for TB.

Is there something you should be doing instead of this?
I could be doing dishes, but they can wait until tomorrow.

When was the last time you got so drunk you couldn't remember your name?
I don't drink alcohol, so I've never been drunk.

Have you ever smoked weed?
No

Have you set your hair on fire?
No

Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex?
Only rellies, and none of them were snogs.

Have you ever been kissed at all?
Yes

What colour is your underwear?
At the moment it's pink, and it's actually a matching set.

Do you wear boxers?
No. Though I used to have a satin pair to sleep in.

What's your favourite flower?
Tulips

Do you have allergies?
Dust and one particular flower that I haven't yet identified.

Who is your best friend?
I don't have a best friend, but one of my good friends is Rebecca.

Let's hear about them.
I've been friends with Rebecca since 1988 and the 2nd year of high school. We've been through some tough times together - her father's death, the divorce of my parents, and the death of our friend's mother. We lost touch for a bit when I moved to Dunedin, but we've gotten in contact again. We chat every so often through MSN and I'll catch up with her next time I visit NZ.

Don't people who lie to make themselves seem better suck?
While I don't like liars, I kind of pity those who are so insecure in who they are that they have to lie. It's sad really.

How many instruments do you play?
I think I can still play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the violin. I wasn't very good to start with, I hate to imagine what I'd be like now. I don't currently play any instruments.

Do you know anyone who has lost their virginity?
Lot's of people. I doubt that their children were conceived immaculately!

What are your plans for this weekend?
I'll be working all this weekend.

Are you in a band?
No.

What grade will you be in next year?
Left school many moons ago.

Can you draw well?
No. Even my stick figures look odd.

Do you even know who Jesse Lacey or Brand New is?
Probably some other obscure band.

Do you even know what MUSIC is?!
Yes, because I buy albums by artists who don't have to use myspace to promote themselves.

Have you ever ran into a door because you didn't see it?
No, but I have come close to a few poles!

Do you know who People In Planes are?
Blah blah blah.

Where does your dad work?
Some factory. I think it manufactures venetian blinds.

How about your mum?
She's an early childhood teacher and works in a daycare centre.

What's your grandmas name?
Jean and Edna

Have you ever been to the hospital?
Yes. 2 admissions, and several ED visits.

Do you use teeth whiteners?
No

What was your 4th grade teachers name?
I don't remember. It might have been Miss Davidson, but I'm not sure.

Do you think you're fat?
Hate the word fat. Yes, I'm overweight.

How much do you weigh anyway?
Less on the moon than I do on earth. In other words, mind your own business!

Do you have OCD?
No, but I do have some things that I like just right. E.g. I prefer to use the same washer and dryer every time I do my washing, but I can cope if they're in use.

Don't you think that 'Wife Swap' is the lamest show ever?
I don't particularly like reality shows in general. They're all as bad as each other.

Doesn't 50 Cent suck?
Don't listen to his/their music so I can't say one way or the other.

What drink do you drink constantly?
Water. Coke Zero and Coffee are pretty high on the list.

Do you still watch animated Disney movies?
Only if I'm watching something with my niece and nephews. Since they're not here, I don't.

Have you ever been to California?
Yes

Do you like spandex?
Depends on who's wearing it. Some people should stay far far away from it!

What song are you listening to now?
Leonard Cohen - The Future

Far Too Long

It has been far too long since I blogged anywhere, so I shall make a start. LJ is the easiest because I don't have to log in. That seems to be most of my trouble, I hate the entire hassle of signing in and waiting for everything to load. Especially at the moment when I've gone over my broadband limit. *g*. I'm now back to dial up speed for about a week until I get my new months allocation. It's all those episodes of first season Supernatural and all the Captain Jack episodes of Doctor Who. I am hanging out until 9.30 as that's when Torchwood starts. I am pretty pathetic! LOL! Can't help myself though. It's been a while since I've been so interested in a programme. I've managed to contain myself from downloading episodes prior to them screening, although it isn't easy.

Not much is happening in my life otherwise. I've been going through a period of depression. Still not feeling the best, but I'm much better that how I was. I'm not nearly as weepy, and don't feel like staying in bed. Although, with some of the weather we've been having, it would be nice to stay tucked up in bed with a good book.

Went to see Pirates 3 and Shrek 3, and enjoyed both. Planning on going to HP on Wednesday night after work. There's a 11pm screening that my brother said he'd come to with me. For someone who rubbished the books for so long, he doesn't protest at seeing the movies. Plus he did capitulate and read the books. Lucky for him, I'm a fast reader and I'll have book 7 all finished on the day that I get it. At the moment I'm hanging out for some Torchwood novels that I've ordered - I'm such a geek! LOL! They should arrive this week and should keep me going until the 21st.

Now I'll just copy this to my other journals.

I've been feeling rather down lately. I'm hoping it's just hormonal - I'm normally depressed just before my period, usually just one day. It's been a few days now. I feel as if I have to drag myself to do anything. I'm on days off and all I want to do is hide under my duvet cover and cry. It always scares me when I feel like this because I don't know when or if it will end. I'm trying my best not to dwell on how miserable I feel. What worries me most at the moment is that I know I'm withdrawing. Once I stop doing my normal things, I know that I'm not that okay. I might need to get out the St John's Wort. I've used it before when things have been a little tough. I don't think I need to look at anything stronger, and I certainly wouldn't at this earlier stage. I still have my fingers crossed that it'll all be over soon. It just makes it harder to cope with all the little things - I'm just overly sensitive at the moment, and take things to heart more than I normally would. But, I'm okay. Really.

Update

Eeep! I don't know where the time has gone - it doesn't seem that long since I posted last, but it's nearly been a month. This year is going so quickly! Nothing much has been happening. I'm nearly over my abcess. There's still some residual swelling that I'm on my second course of antibiotics for. I have to go back to the doctor if it hasn't gone by the time I finish the course. If there's only a little swelling I probably won't bother going back. It's just a nuisance because the hospital is over the other side of the city. Otherwise, I have no problems with it. Pain's gone, ulcer is practically healed ( I was surprised by how fast it healed considering the size).

Got my birthday present from my sister the other day. She sent me one of my favourite NZ magazines and some Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. Australian Dairy Milk is yuck. She also sent some photos of the kids, and I will have to scan them and put them up. Alex has a rash on his legs that my sister wanted my opinion about, so she took photos of them and emailed them to me. Don't you just love technology? LOL!

Work's good. I've been working on the one ward for the past 2 weeks, and I'm back there again this week. It's my usual neurosurgery ward. Last night I did work on the oncology ward. I had a choice between that and the cardio-thoracic ward. I'm glad I went oncology because the other ward ended up with a code blue. So far I've been lucky and have never ever been around a cardiac arrest. The most exciting I've had has been an intubation on the ward, although I have taken a couple of patients through to ICU. I'm on days off at the moment and typical - the weather has turned nasty. It's raining, so I don't feel like going anywhere. Not that I need to today. I've paid my rent, and I dont' have anything else to do. I have milk for my coffees. *g* Ah, the important things! I do dirink more coffee wihen the weather is yuck and I'm home. Especially if I do some writing - coffee helps me think better. Well, it probably doesn't, but it makes me feel more alert!

I have my Cary Grant movie all ready for next month. I've discovered that I can link my bank account with Paypal. I couldn't do that in NZ but I can in Australia. Now I can get ebaying again. Some of his movies aren't that easy to get, I have ended up getting some Asian releases, which I always feel uneasy about. I know that not all Asian copies are illegal, but even when the sellers state that they're not, you can't be too sure. But then, I'm buying in good faith, with honest intentions. I'm going to have to rearrange my shelves again. I might have to put my tv series on a seperate shelf. Hmm, if I do that, then the Cary Grant box sets can be with the Cary Grant movies. I like things in order.

Finally managed to find James Reyne's latest CD. You would have thought that being an Aussie artist, he would be easier to find. I really enjoyed seeing him in concert. So much energy for someone in his 50s. They didn't sell the cd at the venue which I thought was a bit silly considering it was an album launch. Fans will go out and buy it anyway, but it would be the perfect way to catch those who may not have considered buying it. Plus I would have liked a signed copy. *g* I like it a lot more than his last album (not counting his acoustic one which is technically the previous one, as it only had a couple of new songs.)

I'm seriously thinking I should start learning Greek. I have had so many Greek patients with little English. It would make communicating so much easier. That's one thing I really enjoy about being here - the exposure to some different cultures. In Dunedin, there were more Maori and Polynesians.

As seen at Susan's

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

stuff

Just sitting here waiting for tea to cook. I'm having chicken and bean chilli. I can make it do several nights, so I'll have some to take to work for the next couple of days. I might be able to stretch it for all three days that I'm working. I hate trying to organise meals before I go to work in the afternoon, and I really hate buying it at work. It's so much easier to cook up a big pot of something.

I have lots to look forward to at the moment. First was finding out that Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds stage show is coming to Australia, including Melbourne. Second was that Justin Hayward was coming with it. I'm so excited! I've already bought my ticket. I have a reasonably close seat, within the first 15 rows I think. Unfortunately I have to wait until September for it.

The next exciting thing was, noticing on a poster, that James Reyne is playing a couple of shows and launching a new album. I have followed him throughout his solo career, but have never seen him play. The funny thing is, I was thinking earlier today of all my favourite singers and bands, who I would most love to see in concert. James Reyne was the first that came to mind. It's only been like 20 years that I've been listening to him. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a ticket. It's next week, but I haven't got a credit card and I'm working the next couple of days, so I can't buy it from the venue. Maybe I could send my brother. Hmm, that's a thought. That reminds me, I have to tell him Lily Allen's coming to Melbourne, in case he wants to see her.

Then there are a couple of big shows over the upcoming months - Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. I've never seen either of those, so I hope to be able to go.

The weather's been really iffy the past couple of days. Can't go anywhere without a jacket or umbrella. It's still fairly warm though. Back in Dunedin, I would be in my winter pyjamas with my hot water bottle by now. It's nice not to be freezing my butt off. We do need the rain though. What would be perfect is if it rained all night, but was fine all day.

Bought the new Rufus Wainwright album. I don't like it as much as Want One and Two, but I still enjoy it just the same. I'll probably change my mind once I've listened to it more.

Vodafone must have been kind to us on Sunday. I rang Mum for Mother's day and we talked for over an hour, but it only cost less than $20. Normally it costs me 60 cents a minute for a call within Australia. Must of been because of Mother's Day. My mobile's prepaid because I don't use it that often, and I like to know how much I'm paying. Vodafone's great because with their sim card system, when I go back to NZ, I just swap cards. No worrying about global roaming.

Heehee. Watching Big Brother is like watching a soap opera, only with better acting. Highly amusing. I couldn't stand being on BB myself. How could I go without books for all that time, or be allowed to write. I'd be evicting myself pretty quickly. I couldn't cope with the boredom, or not having my own space. I'd quickly go insane. Plus, I'd miss Jix too much, and *gasp* no Cary Grant movie nights! lol! I will have to miss the next movie night because I can't get the movie. :(

Now that I've eaten tea, I feel like curling up and going to sleep. It's only 6pm, so that's not really an option. Not unless I want to be awake at about 12am, and then be awake all night.

stuff

Sometimes it's just so hard to think up a title for a post, especially when it's just randomness.

Not much happening for me, just enjoying my days off. I'm feeling nicely recharged and I still have tomorrow off. I'm working on the cardiothoracic ward this week. I have done a couple of shifts there, but I haven't been there for ages. It's hard to believe that I've been over here for 8 months already. Where has the time gone? I'm feeling nicely settled. I'm really surprised that I haven't had any feelings of homesickness. I've missed my old ward more than I have NZ. I guess alot of it is that Australia and New Zealand are so similar. I don't think I would have felt so comfortable in I'd been in any other country. Plus, it's not that far away. It's only a 4 hour flight from Melbourne to Auckland. It can take nearly that long depending of what flights and how long you have to wait between, to get from Dunedin to Hamilton. I miss some of my stuff more than anything - my music mainly. Every so often I'll have a craving to play a particular cd or want a certain song. But, I'm coping.

Rearranged my dvds yesterday. They're not quite right because I haven't got them grouped properly, but I'm trying not to be so obsessive about it. I also rearranged all my Moody Blues music into a playlist. I have several compilation albums, all my studio albums are back in NZ. I arranged them by date and album appearance. I now have to fix up my Rufus Wainwright one, as the albums are out of order. It shouldn't really bother me because half the time I have my playlist on shuffle, but it bugs me. *g*

I'm off to see Das Boot tonight. I've been waiting for tonight for the past 3 months. This would have to be my favourite movie. For those who have never seen it, it's the story of a German U-Boat crew during WWII. It's the only movie I've ever seen in which Germans haven't been portrayed as the bad guys. The characters are simply men fighting for their country and wanting to survive their tour. They don't necessarily agree with their country's leaders. Das Boot was orginially a mini-series, and this is what I first saw years ago, but never got to see the end. It was then cut down for cinematic release, and I saw this version on tv but again never got to see the end. I did finally. It's one of the few movies in which I've been stunned by the ending. I always watch in in it's original German with English subtitles. There is a dubbed version in which the actors did their own dubbing, but it just doesn't sound right to me.

One of the Subway restaurants in NZ called the police on a worker who gave a free cup of Coke to a friend. Reading stuff on message boards back in NZ, people are divided on the issue. One side saying theft is theft, the other that it's overkill. I don't know where I stand. I agree on one hand that no matter how small something is, it's still theft from the employer. On the other hand, surely the incident could have been handled differently. It's like there's no such think is a small sin - a sin is a sin. Maybe a warning would have been better, or even a straight dismissal. I think in most places theft is an instant dismissal. Is it worth the legal wrangling over the price of a cup of Coke? I can accept management wanting to make a stand, it's not something that's acceptable - but is it something that could backfire on them. There are a lot of people who think they are over-reacting and sympathy is going to the employee.

Made S'mores last night. Yum! I went shopping at USA Foods and saw that they had graham crackers. I had to roast my marshmellows over a candle, so they ended up being burnt on the outside, but they were nice and gooey on the inside. They're such messy things to eat! I have fond memories of the very first one at Trixie Camp '03. :)

I should get dressed and do something productive since it's after 12 here. Actually, it's closer to 1pm. I need to have a shower. Hopefully my metcard is going to work if I go anywhere today. It got a little bit wet and it's faded the expiry date. The only real problem will be if I can't get it to go in the validater. I'm not sure whether to go into the city or out to Chadstone. (Shopping Mall) I need to do some grocery shopping, which I can do at either place. I feel like bacon butties, but I don't have any bacon. Weight Watchers have rindless bacon that's lower in fat and doesn't shrink when you cook it. I hate it when you cook bacon and it shrivels up. I like it on the crispy side. Yum!

Big Brother eviction was on last night. I suspected Kate would go. I really hope TJ gets evicted because she really annoys me. I didn't plan on watching this, but it keeps me amused for a bit. I'll probably be bored with it in a couple of months, anyway.

Read The Marshland Mystery for the first time in years. One thing has just occured to me, if Random House had updated the books rather than using the old text, would they have made mention of bike helmets? When I started riding my bike, I never wore a helmet. I didn't until sometime during high school - around 1989. It's compulsory to wear a helmet in NZ. I've seen a lot of people riding without one over here. Some people just have no idea. When you work in Neurosurgery, you see the effects of so many things. I guess it comes down to two things: It will never happen to me, and It's not cool to wear a helmet. It's not cool to be reliant on someone else for the rest of your life because it can happen to you.

I'm off to my shower!

Random Mutterings

Susan, you are a bad influence! I went shopping yesterday with the aim of buying a cd, but came home with more Cary Grant movies! There was a box set with An Affair to Remember, Kiss Them For Me, Born to be Bad and People Will Talk. At $37 I couldn't leave them there. I bought another box set the other day. That one has Houseboat, To Catch a Thief, That Touch of Mink and Indiscreet. How am I supposed to find time to watch them all??? I have 4 days off coming up, so I might have to start making a dent in them. I did buy my cd as well. *G* It's all your fault! LOL!

Why are tv stations so stupid? The network that plays Veronica Mars started the third series now it's been taken off for Big Brother. Why bother starting in the first place? That's just dumb, and that's how you lose viewers. We were lucky to have seen five episodes. I'd rather have waited and seen a full season. Speaking of Big Brother, as a rule I don't really like reality shows and don't bother with any of them. I must admit that I've been kind of sucked into watching it. It's a bit sad really. LOL!

I have four days off coming up after tomorrow. I really need to work on something for my Jixaversary at the end of the month. I have so many things that I need to finish. I really need to just sit down and do it, no matter how painful it is!

A couple of quizzes.

Smurf Name Your Smurf Name is Wealthy Smurf Get Your Smurf Name at Quizopolis.com

Yeah, right!

Not So Care Bear Name Your Not So Care Bear Name is Drinks-a-lot Bear Get Your Not So Care Bear Name at Quizopolis.com

I don't think so! Unless of course it's Coke Zero. That I will confess to sometimes drinking too much of.

Decisions, Decisions

Don't you just hate it when you aren't sure about a decision to make? It's nothing major, but I'm tossing up what to do, and why I should do it. Not too long ago someone posted a link at Jix about clip at you tube, the Nancy V Trixie one. Well, one of the junior members at Zap's has posted the link, and everyone thinks that she's the one that's created it. I looked up the profile of the video creator at you tube, and the age is not the same as what's given at Zap's. Personally, I don't believe that she has created it, only shared the link. It's not her fault that nearly everyone else has assumed that she made it. I freely expressed my thoughts on it - that I liked the concept, but not all the random images. I do have a right to my opinion, and I'll stand by it. This was posted after my post: "I think it's wonderful that X took the time to make this. I did a search, and it's the only Trixie Belden clip on YouTube...isn't it nice of her to create this and share it with us?" It's lovely and polite, but it still pees me off. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to lie and say that I liked something when I didn't. GRRR!!! I don't think I'm going to do anything just now because I'll only look like a b*tch. I'll wait and see if the OP owns up to whether she created it or not. Then I've had to look at why I care so much about a dumb video anyway. I guess it's because I'm concerned that people are too concerned with "being nice" rather than "being honest". I'm not talking about flaming anyone, just stating an honest opinion. Of course, they might all love it - there's not accounting for taste. *G* Oh, in case you haven't seen it, here's the link.

Long Overdue Update

I'm am long overdue for an update. I have no idea where the time has gone! Last week I had Mum and my niece Natalia stay for a week. The weather was lovely and we were constantly trying to fit in as much as possible. The first day (Monday) was a quieter day, with doing a little shopping and going out for lunch. Then we went to the beach, where Tali got a bit of an unplanned dunking. Tuesday I took Mum to the Old Melbourne Gaol while my brother took Tali to the Aquarium. We then had lunch and went to the museum. Went home to change and then out for dinner. Wednesday we just went shopping out a Chadstone which is a large shopping mall. Thursday was a big day - we went on a tour to Ballarat. Went to the Wildlife Park so Tali could feed kangaroos and get to pat a koala and wombat. Then it was on to Sovereign Hill where Tali was able to go gold-panning. That was her highlight of her holiday I think. She did find some, and I found a little bit more. Sovereign Hill is a living museum. Set up as a goldfields town. These are the photos I took from my holiday in 2005. Scroll past the wildlife photos. Friday, I took Tali on the train to Bentleigh, which is a suburb about 30 mins by train from central Melbourne. There's a USA food shop there and I was able to load myself up with pop tarts, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Dr Pepper and root beer, salt water taffy. Tali had some lollypops and Twizzlers. I sent her back to NZ with Pixie Stixs (?sp) That afternoon I stayed home while the others went to Luna Park (amusement park) and back to the beach. I needed a little time out. As much as I loved having Mum and Tali staying, I was at a point where I just needed some me alone time. Saturday we went to the zoo. Then we had dinner where my brother used to work. I had a very yummy spaghetti cabonara. I don't usually have spaghetti while I'm in public, but I'm glad I did. Sunday they went home.

I felt a little down on Sunday once I waved them off at the airport. When I went back into the city I bought a new book and read it that afternoon. Bought the latest Anita Shreve, Bodysurfing, which I enjoyed. Haven't felt the happiest the past few days, but I think I'm picking up. I don't feel like crying so much. As much as I loved having Tali here, I would have liked to have had more time just with Mum. Speaking of Tali, she is the worst person to share a bed with. She wriggles something terrible. I got kicked a few times, had the blankets pinched off me. Between that and Mum snoring, I didn't get much sleep that week. LOL!

Otherwise, not an awful lot has been happening. The weather is cooling down. I'm having to wear something with sleeves more frequently now, and using the duvet most nights. I'm going to have a pretty pathetic pay next week, due to taking last week off. I've worked 3 days this week. That's the only thing with working casually - you get the extra money so that you don't get paid for holidays etc. It shouldn't be too much of a pinch. Electricity's been paid and isn't due for a bit, telephone's not due, and I've put away half the rent for next month, plus there will be another pay before it needs to be paid.

Bought a stack of Cary Grant movies the other day. Hopefully one of them will make it as a choice for movie night. If not, I'll just have to buy another! *G*

My Home

I'm now all moved in - not that there was much to move in anyway. Friday I signed all the paperwork, and boy was there a lot! It was all very pleasant though, and I have been really impressed with everyone that I've dealt well. Lovely people! Stubborn and cheap me, had packed most of my clothes in my suitcase, which I then had to drag down 2 flights of stairs, across a couple of streets to the bus stop. Then, I had to get it up the steps of the bus, down the steps of the bus and across to the apartment building across the road, and up 3 flights of stairs. After dumping everything out, I did everything in reverse. Naturally it was much easier with the empty case. Then I repeated the above steps. Except I didn't have to drag it up 3 flights of stairs because a very nice young man carried it up for me. *G* The rest of the day was spent hanging around for people to turn up but didn't, not that they ended up needing to. I was giving the indication by both electricity and telephone companies that I needed to be there at certain times. During one half hour, the telephone company was going to call. They never did. Didn't matter because they'd connected me anyway. Then I never heard anything from the electricity company. I was told I needed to be home. A couple of times I had popped out, but there was nothing in my box to say that anyone had been, so I didn't think I'd missed them. Well, it got to just after 4 and I had things to do. I was prepared that I'd have to either spend another weekend with my brother, or have no electricity for the weekend. On the off chance, I decided to flick the main switch on. Lo and behold, there was light! Grrr, because I had wasted the entire afternoon, and would have been moved in. In the end I moved the rest of the stuff on Saturday after work.

I was kind of suprised that even after 6 months, I haven't accumulated too much. Some books, cds and dvds, and some paperwork. That's all, not even too many clothes.

So, here I am, sitting on the floor with my laptop on an upended box. I haven't got much of anything at the moment, but pay day's Thursday and I can go shopping on Monday. I've made a list of everything I need to buy and will start from there. Some things can wait, others are a bit more important. It's been nice having no tv in a way, I've been able to catch up on some movie watching - Alfred Hitchcock mainly.

So, shall I describe my place? The walls are white painted brick. The carpet is green (though not as bad as I initially thought), there is one long rectangular window next to the door, and one small arched window opposite it. When facing this arched window, on the left is my little kitchenette and bathroom, and on the right the door through to the bedroom. The decor is the same. There are 2 arched windows in here. One advantage with living on the top floor is that I can leave my windows open for the fresh air. It sure beats coming home to a stuffy house!

The lounge has a large cupboard and some bookshelves. I actually didn't notice the bookshelves when I went in for a look. I have unpacked my cds, books and dvds, so they are on the shelves and I'm most happy about that.

The only drawback is that I live at the intersection of some busy roads. I'm getting used to the traffic noise, but because I can't always here the dialogue of dvds when the sound is at maximum, I have to watch with subtitles. Not that this bothers me in the slightest.

Still quite happy working casually. I have 4 days this week and 3 guarenteed for next week, plus one on call. I always get something on call anyway. As much as I'd like somewhere permanent, I'm not so sure about a couple of things. Listening to some of the other nurses, I really don't like the rosters. Some of them are doing 7 days and to me that is unacceptable. There also seems to be a lot of chopping and changing between morning and afternoon shifts. I am not going to finish at 9.30 only to start work at 7.00. At least this way I can pick and choose my days and I don't have to do earlies. I don't have to do nights either. That's always a bonus! *G*

I'm looking forward to doing all the shopping I have to for this place, I don't even have to feel guilty because it's all a necessity. Perfect excuse! Of course I may need to reward myself with something for all my hard work. LOL!

I now have my own place!

My application was approved for one of the apartments I applied for. It wasn't my first choice, but I'm not going to be fussy. I have the one with the icky green carpet. In some ways I'm happy, the other place had a gas stove - I don't like gas (makes me uneasy)this one has a little bench top oven with hobs on top. Just perfect for me. I had a little oven back in Dunedin and used it more than the oven. I paid the bond today, and will do the paperwork on Friday. I would have preferred to have had everything done today, but that wasn't to be. Does mean another trip to the bank for a cheque on Friday. They'll be knowing me by sight soon!

I have to do so much shopping, but have to wait until pay day. I bought an airbed today so I won't be sleeping on the floor. I even thought to buy a foot pump, because there's no way I'm going to sit there and blow it up! The bed will be useful for when Mum and Tali come to stay. I plan on buying a double bed and Tali will sleep with whoever's in the bed.

I did some window shopping today, just working out which places have the cheapest items. I have to buy everything. It'll probably take a couple of pays to get what I need. First item is a fridge/freezer - it's too hot not to have one. I just hope the shop has nice strong men to drag it up two flights of stairs.

It'll take a couple of trips to move stuff - not that I have much. I'll just catch the bus. It goes past the end of the road here and stops outside the apartment block. I don't have anything too heavy, just my suitcase and some boxes. It's all very exciting for me.

I'm so looking forward to having my own space. :)

I want some cold weather!

It is so hot. I know that I shouldn't grumble but I'm sick of feeling hot and sticky. My clothes stick to me, my hair's a disaster and I just feel yuck! It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't the humidity. I have to shower before getting into bed to have any hope of getting to sleep.

Stupid me got sunburned today. I really must remember that I'm not in Dunedin and should always apply sunscreen before leaving the house. It's not too bad, just a little tender at the back of my neck.

Work's going fine. Had a lovely weekend back on the ward that I started at. They were fairly quiet shifts - made a change from earlier in the week! I even managed to get away early.

Have applied for a couple of apartments, so my fingers are crossed that I'll get one of them. Both are in the same area, but one is nicer than the other, plus it's ground floor. The other one has the most hideous green carpet, but otherwise okay.

I really need to work on my Jixaversary story. I still have about a month, but I would like it already to go. At least my chapter of Mysterious Code is done (just needs another look over and then off to be edited), and Vivian and I have a project lined up. It's essentially finished, I'll just give it another lookover. So, I have been kind of productive.

I started a new story during the writing challenge. I really didn't mean to, but it was the one speaking to me. I had a few problems getting started, but once I made up my mind that it was going to be a stand alone story, it flowed. The timeline didn't fit well for my Whisper uni.

Ick! I think I'm going to have a shower.

Who Sent Me Their Bugs????

It's still summer and I'm sitting here with a cold. Getting toward the end of the sore throat, and starting to cough and I can feel my head becoming congested. Tomorrow I'll have to pick up some decongestants. I still have some cough syrup, but I'll need some night and day tablets. Yuck! I should be over the worst of it by the end of the week. Tomorrow I have to go and do my back smart training.

Had my hospital induction today (technically yesterday) Lot's of paperwork and stuff to read. Exciting stuff!

Managed to get a fair bit written on a new story. I really didn't want to start anything new, but there was no way I was going to complete the writing challenge if I didn't. Tonight I couldn't shut Honey up. She's changed my story plans a bit. I was supposed to be a nice simple story, but she's gone and made it a lot more complicated. Talk about can of worms. A minor character wants to have a larger part and hinting at their own story. Knowing my luck, it will turn into another universe - not something I want. Maybe a mini-verse. A couple of stories and that's it. Fingers crossed it doesn't develop a life of it's own. I think I managed just of 1800 words. Not bad considering I wasn't feeling great.

Happy Dancing

Was going to go to the movies tonight but the tram timetable was all mucked up, so I didn't end up going. I went to Borders instead. I'm glad I did! I managed to get a copy of music from Aram Khatchaturian's Spartacus. It is so hard to find anything by this composer, and there were another 2 cds there. I shall return! The other exciting thing was seeing that Sara Dane was released on DVD. I loved that miniseries! I remember watching it back in 1983. It's about a young convict women transported to Australia and how she made her life. Another similar type series was Against The Wind. I used to watch that one with my mother. I'll have to get the DVDs. I also managed to pick up a copy of Sylvia Plath's Ariel really cheap as part of a boxset with other poems, including T.S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. It was 75% off, so I was able to get it for just over $6. Very happy about that! Know exactly where to get a copy of the movie for the next Cary Grant night. Just need to see if I can get it any cheaper at another place.

For the past 14 weeks I've been going to Weight Watchers. Today I reached my 10% of my weight loss. I have lost 13.5kg (nearly 30lbs). I got my special gold star for reaching 10%, so I'm really happy about that! I'm going to have to go shopping for new pants. The pair I'm wearing are looking a little too baggy now.

I received a lovely reply to some feedback I left on a story in another fandom. :)

Next month my nephew Alex starts school! Eeek! It doesn't seem like 5 years ago that I posted photos of him. That means I've had my camera for nearly 5 years. I bought it especially so that I could take photos of Alex and post them on the net.

I've been listening to my Khatchaturian cd and I've discovered that I have one of the pieces I like from the ballet. I wasn't sure that it was on there, and now it's the last track and it's there! Now I'm going to be humming it for the next hour! LOL! The only thing I don't like about the way it's arranged is that it's not in order of events. This is actually at the start of the ballet, I recognise one of the other parts of the music.

Spartacus is the only ballet I've ever seen in any form. I'd love to see it shown live. I've only seen it on tv and dvd. I'd only want to see it done if they keep the same choreography - I know that there's been an Australian remake, but I like familiarity. *G*

Now I need to settle down and do some writing. Trixie has started speaking to me for the first time in ages.

Update

The new job is going well. I've worked 7 shifts in just over a week. So far I've only worked on two wards. My last five shifts have been in neurosurgery which is one of my specialties.

Sometimes it's a little overwhelming trying to work in an unfamiliar system. Wednesday wasn't such a good day, I had this huge wave of homesickness for my old ward. I didn't want to move back to NZ but I wanted to transfer the ward here. I just wanted familiarity and a shift where I didn't have to ask what felt like a hundred questions. I think most of it stemmed from being tired - I'm a little out of practice work-wise. I'm perfectly happy now. :) I know it's going to take time to adjust, and I can't be expected to know everything in a week.

Some things freak me out. In Dunedin hospital, any time a patient left the ward for an xray or procedure etc, their patient notes would be put into a paper bag and taped down. That doesn't here. The orderly is given the folder and only their personal ethics are to stop them looking at it. Not to mention the folders lying around on a desk up the hallway. I hate the hospital's medication charts and that if I'm sending away a specimen to the lab, a doctor has to sign the form. Didn't have to do that in Dunedin. I do like the staffing. On the 2 wards I've worked there is a ratio of 1:4, and often you're teamed up with another nurse and have 8 patients between the 2 of you. The admin staff work later - yay not having to deal with phone calls! The ward aide works longer - another bonus! There's a resource nurse on each shift to deal with admissions and help out staff - something else that's fantastic. Especially when you're like me and have a billion questions to ask.

I had a lovely patient recently who told me she just wanted to pinch my cheeks and find me a nice husband. LOL! I've already had to deal with a groper. Has a head injury so it's not malicious. Can cope with those, it's the evil perverts that we hate. It does make it a little difficult when you're trying to check on a patient and avoiding having your butt squeezed. His poor wife was mortified. I did nearly die when he told one of his visitors that he should have a squeeze too. I made a hasty exit after that! I am not something to be manhandled! Otherwise it was a pleasant shift.

Spent some time yesterday loading some classical music onto my laptop. I picked my favourite pieces off the CDs I have. As I was going through them, I realised that I'm particulary drawn to the slower pieces - lot's of adagios chosen. I like them slightly on the sombre and dark side. But, there's several brighter tunes too. So I spent all afternoon listening to classical music. Sometimes I just need to listen to music without words, forming my own mental images. Doesn't work with some - Thus Spake Zarathustra will always remind me of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Adagio from Spartacus gives me 2 images, one from the ballet, and the other of sailing ships. The latter is because it was used as the theme song for a British sailing drama series that my mum loved. One of the pieces is driving me nuts. I know that I've heard it on the soundtrack of something I've seen recently, but when I looked up IMDB, the only thing on there that I'd seen was Platoon. I haven't watched Platoon in years. Oh, well. I guess it doesn't really matter. It's Barber's Adagio for Strings. A beautiful and haunting piece.

I remember the first time I heard classical music. My teacher played some to the class and everyone was "Yuck!" We would have been 12/13 at the time. In my second to last year of high school, I decided to learn the violin on an impulse. We had a string orchestra and later I played in the full orchestra. That increased my exposure, and I soon began buying music. As for the violin - I gave that up after I left school. I wasn't very good, but it was fun. Even though I did get banished to practice in the garage. It was still better than when my sister was learning the drums!

Happy New Year!!

Bit late but never mind!

Not too much longer and I'll have another nephew. He's due later on this month. It's likely that my sister will have an early induction because it looks as if he's already 10lb. Before you blanch, my sister tends to have long babies rather than fat babies. My niece is really excited about coming over in April. She tells everyone that she's going to Australia and she's going to be doing this, this and this.

Had to bite my tongue over a post on another board. Someone posted about having a sinus infection and found some antibiotics from the previous year. She took them and ended up having a reaction. It was a nasty reaction and I'm glad she was alright. Everyone was giving her sympathy and going on about getting rid of any unused meds. Fair enough. My issue? Why the heck had she not finished the prescription? It really, really really annoys me when people don't complete their courses of antibiotics. This, along with the over prescribing of antibiotics is what causes antibiotic resistance. MRSA is a huge problem across healthcare facilities. There is only one antibiotic that can treat it. I really wanted to say this in the thread, but thought I'd end up sounding like a bitch. I feel better now that I have that off my chest. *G*

Trying to find wedding songs for my Dan and Fiona wedding story. My problem is that I hate a lot of the songs that people tend to use. I haven't looked up any wedding sites because I want something different. I don't want to use something that everyone else uses. I'm going through some of the music I have, to see if anything pops up. Personally, if I was to get married right now, I would like to use Adagio from Spartacus. It's my favourite piece of music and it's absolutely beautiful. The duet is probably my favourite scene of the entire ballet. I think I have Mary Sue'd a little in the story because Fiona has the same ideas as I do about what she'd going to walk down the aisle to. I've come across some lovely songs, but not quite suitable to walk down the aisle to. I do have the perfect song for Dan. Maybe he needs to walk down the aisle.

For My Lady - The Moody Blues (Written by Ray Thomas)

My boat sails stormy seas,
Battles oceans filled with tears.
At last my port's in view
Now that I've discovered you.
Oh I'd give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady.
Give it freely and completely
To my lady.

As life goes drifting by
Like a breeze she'll gently sigh
And slowly bow her head
Then you'll hear her softly cry.

Oh I'd give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady.
Give it freely and completely
To my lady.

Words that you say when we're alone,
Though actions speak louder than words,
But all I can say is I love you so
To drive away all my hurt.

Oh I'd give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady.
Give it freely and completely
To my lady.

Set sail towards the sun;
Feel the warmth that's just begun.
Share each and every dream,
They belong to everyone.

Oh I'd give my life so lightly
For my gentle lady.
Give it freely and completely
To my lady.

Ray wrote some beautiful songs.

There are a couple of verses from Remember Me, My Friend by Blue Jays that I really like. I've bolded my favourite parts.

You don't need to ask me if I'll be your friend.
I am. I am.
You don't need to ask me if I'm sure my friend.
I am.
I am your friend,
You must remember me.
I'm the one who saw through the world's disguise,
Took away its cloak and made it hide
From me.
Remember me?

Walking on this Earth, finding you,
You, you.
Walking on this Earth, finding you,
You, you.
What can I say?
You don't need to find the words to say what's on your mind.

If you need a reason to begin again,
I am. I am.
You will find an answer at your journey's end.
I am
Waiting there, my friend,
You must remember me,
I'm the one who knew you when,
I'm the one you call your friend,
Feel free,
Remember me.

Sigh. If anyone has any ideas I'd greatly appreciate them. I hope to get the story completed by next month. Thank goodness for the writing challenge. It will give me a good kick in the pants to get it finished. Especially since I started it during the last one. I think I'm frustrated most because I don't have all my music handy. I'm going through withdrawls. It doesn't help that I'm bored with what I do have.

I think I might have found what I'm looking for.

To Share Our Love - The Moody Blues (Written by John Lodge)

Makes me feel good,
Now I can see
It takes more than one to give
The life we need.
I can't think why
I never thought of this before
Now I know what it means to me
To share my love.

Now that I know
I've found the answer for myself
What a day it would be for me
To share your love.

I can't think why
I never thought of this before
Now I know what it means to me
To share my love.

Now that I know
I've found the answer for myself
What a day it would be for me
To share your love.

I can't think why
I never thought of this before
Now I know what it means to me
To share my love.

Unfortunately, I can't think of this song off the top of my head and I don't have my MB cds with me. I do like the lyrics. I just listened to a sample at Amazon. I do remember it now. It's a little faster than I'd prefer, but I can cope.

I'm still open to other suggestions. :)